Two companies fluent in NFC technology, particularly in the mobile payments arena, say their respective NFC-related offerings have achieved interoperability following field testing. German-based Giesecke & Devrient announced that applications stored on its NFC-enabled SIM cards can be managed through over-the-air provisioning server software developed by ViVOtech, Santa Clara, Calif.

The G&D and ViVOtech interoperable solution enables OTA provisioning of not only the financial account applet but also provisions the complete payment applet to the SIM card. The companies say the test was successfully performed using multiple single wire protocol prototype mobile phone models. Both plan to use this joint technology infrastructure as the basis for an upcoming NFC field trial with a large European Bank.

G&D has developed the ProxSIM product line of NFC-enabled SIM cards for this purpose. It is intended to link the SIM card with the NFC chip in a mobile phone. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) adopted this standard in October 2007.

With this joint solution, NFC applications are loaded onto the SIM card through special OTA servers – that is, via the mobile network – and updated throughout their life cycle in the field. ViVOtech provides NFC OTA provisioning servers used by trusted service managers to provide these services to mobile network operators and service providers while ensuring that the applications remain under the control of the respective service provider.

“The joint interoperability tests with ViVOtech send an important signal to everyone involved in NFC applications: If they use our ProxSIM cards, they can rely on the latest and future-proof technology of NFC-enabled SIM cards and compatible standards for future NFC systems,” said Dr. Klaus Vedder, head of G&D’s telecommunications division. “This, coupled with the experience that we have garnered from numerous NFC projects all over the world, enable us together to forge ahead with the wide-scale introduction of NFC,”

“Successfully completing an interoperability test with a key leader in SIM chip technology, such as Giesecke & Devrient’s, shows our vision of delivering the most open and interoperable solution to the NFC market,” added Michael Mullagh, ViVOtech CEO. “With widely tested multi-application NFC software deployed in 25 NFC payment field pilots, and more than 450,000 NFC readers shipped to over 30 countries, ViVOtech is well positioned to enable mobile network operators, financial service providers, and merchants to quickly roll out their NFC mobile payment solutions.”